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Mindfulness to decrease anxiety- ideas?
newlotus
Australia Explorer
in Mindfulness
Hi guys,
Any one have some ideas on mindfullness techniques for anxiety?
I have been using my normal ones but they aren't working to great and my head is spinning and I want to go to sleep! Before anyone suggests it I cant slow down long enough to do meditation atm. My house is getting really clean though!
Its just that there are a few things going on atm that are making me anxious but are not under my control: 1) waiting to hear if i have my dream job or not; 2) saw my abusive mother today (long story behind that!) always makes me anxious. Only tonight its not going away!
So any thoughts cause the house is clean, lawns are mowed, and I have made a fare few cookies. But should really get some sleep....
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Comments
Write. Spontaneously. Don't think about the punctuation, spelling, capital letters or grammar. Just spew thoughts onto a page. Get it all out there. Write until your wrist hurts and you have nothing in your mind without having to deliberately think it first.
Breathe.
Watch a funny video on YouTube (I love the 'bad day at work' series, or 'Fail/like a Boss'... not because I gloat over the experiences of others, but because it takes me away from mine....)
Or watch 'how to' things: whether it's cooking, 5-minute hacks or making stuff.
Lie on a floor, with your bum as close to a wall as possible, and your legs UP the wall.
Breathe.
Knit, or make christmas cards, or bake salt-dough decorations.
Did I mention breathing?
Remember: You have survived 100% of your worst days.
Hang in there.
I’ve found mantra chanting to be good for anxious feelings, it gives your meditation that much more focus and you don’t have to rely so heavily on your inner concentration.
Psychology has more to say about anxiety than Buddhism. Buddhist meditation was designed to follow the Buddhist path rather than improve mental health. So Buddhist meditation is more like you would sit with anxiety and give it space to be there (not thinking it's going to go away).
I think psychology is moreso experimenting with mindfulness to help relieve anxiety and things.
Tara Brach is both a Buddhist and a psychologist. Maybe she would have some insight into the difference between Buddhism and psychology?
@newlotus
You may find professor Mark Williams mindfulness techniques quite helpful...He's a psychiatrist specializing in depression & anxiety...He and Danny Penman have put together an 8 part course...
hi
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'accidentally' typed 'hi'
Wow, the body twitches make sense ...
Buddhist twitching is known as prostration/ngondro practice, results in rest through exhaustion ...
Letting all the energy find an outlet ...
You may need a buddha image. Mantra is useful too ...
A quote I have found useful about the difference between Buddhist meditation and the more therapeutic focus is from Chan Master Hsu Yun,
'meditation is a spiritual exercise not a therapeutic regime. Our intention is to enter Nirvana not to make Samsara more tolerable.'
Facing a reality, of ourselves, our history, present circumstances, is never going to be comfortable, I feel that Buddhist 'calm' is always very Stoic in nature.
@federica the writing is a good idea. Only has to be on comp as cant hand write long cause of wrist problem. Wouldn't take very long at all for it to get sore :P
@Jeffrey - yes Buddhism isn't exactly the same as meditation for psychology but I used to mix the 2. Accepting the anxiety, naming it and then moving focus would be used in Buddhism and also in psychology. But thats the part I cant seem to do right now. And no meditation doesn't have to be psychology based. Just normal Buddhist Meditation can alter brain structure.
@newlotus are you getting enough sleep? I have mentioned this before, but inadequate sleep, erratic sleep patterns or insomnia can play havoc both with Mind conditions, and entire physical health...
A picture of my court yard designed with meditation in mind
So I moved my outside Buddha and actually meditated in our court yard. With the light rain and cool breeze with the frogs in the distance it was lovely
well until my cat decided I was finished meditating and needed to give her attention
@federica
Yes sleeping enough. It's more broken than normal but still enough
Why not?
Depending on the level of anxiety, you can try different approaches. Walking meditation, or simply go for a walk in the park or somewhere peaceful. Relax and perhaps try to use mindfulness to look at the thoughts that arises while you are relaxing. Most of the time, it’s our monkey mind that simply creates or amplify things. That is why it takes practice to notice it and let it wear itself out. Let it create and amplify, but with a leash on it.
@seeker242 - a very good question indeed! Was to still, I couldn't stop long enough to sit!
But @namarupa I tried a REALLY long walk with my husband and I was tired enough to do some meditation and reined the monkey mind in.
@newlotus
Anxiety sufferers often find themselves in a catch22 position ( take it from someone who knows from personal experience
)...where one becomes even more anxious when anxiously seeking ways to be free of anxiety...
"I'm anxious and I ought not be anxious, but because I'm anxious I'm anxious because I'm anxious" ....Anxiety feeds off itself...
You have mentioned reining in 'monkey mind' ...You could try and give it a task/a puzzle to solve, or you could just let go of the reins...
It's possible that holding onto/becoming attached to the reins is the issue...Anxiety is anxiety just one's thoughts going for it full steam ahead, however it's when the "I am" attaches itself to the process of thinking , that's when it becomes a problem...
After all..."I am just a thought that thinks I am thinking I am just a thought"
It as already been mentioned relief from mental suffering through Buddhist meditation practice is just a byproduct that many Western psychologists and psychiatrists have latched onto ( which I might add is a very positive thing) ...
I find the best time to meditate is when one is calm and relaxed, however it would seem that more often than not, we look to meditation when we are having issues and tend to drop the practice/slacken off when we are not...
Once you are over this bout of anxiety ( the benefits that comes with knowing the impermanent nature of all things) ...bear in mind that in order to be free of becoming attached to anxiety, it pays to maintain meditation practice, simply by checking in a few times a day with the present moment...
I've found cushion time is one of the best ways, but you can be present anywhere anytime as you go about your day ....Remember the present moment is any moment that you choose to be present...If that makes any senses
May you be well....
Tee hee.
I read somewhere that existence is intolerable/suffering.
Who noticed?
Many of us use our spiritual practice as therapy. Tsk, tsk, hands up if that is your motivation? [lobster raises both claws and a few feet for good measure]
How can we cure our addiction to well being? Or better still be independent of karmic situations?
Maybe a therapy bucket? No?
... and now back to the temporary ...